Recreational boat fishing pressure on fish communities of the shelf and shelf break of Faial and Pico Islands (Azores Archipelago): implications for coastal resource management

Assessing the potential biological implications of recreational inshore fisheries on sub‐tidal fish communities of Azores (north‐east Atlantic Ocean) using catch and effort data

“…Despite the low numbers sampled per activity for E . marginatus (included in the red list of the IUCN as an endangered species), the cumulative impacts of capture by inshore recreational fisheries and recreational boat fishers (Diogo & Pereira, 2013 b ) probably have a negative effect on their populations, particularly considering that they are consistently landed by commercial artisanal fishers in the study area (Lotaçor S. A.; Table SI, Supporting information). At present, capture of this species is only prohibited by spear fishing, which leads to the conclusion that the current legislation is inadequate.…”

“…At present, capture of this species is only prohibited by spear fishing, which leads to the conclusion that the current legislation is inadequate. Another species included in the red list as a vulnerable species is the barred hogfish Bodianus scrofa (Valenciennes 1839), also recorded in the biological sampling of spear fishing and recreational boat fishers (Diogo & Pereira, 2013 b ).…”

“…It was estimated that in Faial and Pico Islands shore angling can produce around 51 t of fishes year −1 while spear fishing, producing 6 t year −1 , equated to around 13% of the total catch from commercial artisanal fishing. When adding other recreational activities such as recreational demersal boat fishing, which can capture 163 t year −1 in the same area (Diogo & Pereira, 2013 b ), the recreational sector together is estimated to land 225 t year −1 (equal to 49·5% of commercial artisanal landings), being a higher value than the world average for recreational fishers (Cooke & Cowx, ). The results presented here strongly suggest that recreational fishing can magnify the level of the negative effects of commercial artisanal fisheries on coastal fish populations.…”

“…A great number of species were caught below mature size (14 out of 37), particularly serious was the capture of immature P. pagrus and P. bogaraveo. Pagrus pagrus is an endangered species included in the red list of the IUCN and also a highly important target of Azorean commercial artisanal fishing and recreational boat fishing (Diogo & Pereira, 2013b). Pagellus bogaraveo is the most frequently captured species in terms of number by shore angling and has also been subject to heavy pressure from the Azorean commercial sector since the 1980s (Menezes et al, 2006).…”

Spearfishing in Portugal: A baseline study on spearfishers’ profiles, habits and perceptions towards management measures

“…Portugal has a high number of recreational fishers, with on average 175,000 recreational fishing licences issued per year between 2007 and 2015, of which ≈ 13,500 are spearfishers (DGRM, ). Despite this relatively high number of practitioners, information on recreational fishing catch and effort is limited for most areas and fishing modes and there is no periodic monitoring of catches made for recreation, sport or subsistence (Veiga et al., , ), and most studies are relatively recent (since 2000) and dispersed spatially (e.g., Barreiros, ; Diogo, ; Diogo & Pereira, ,b, , ; Diogo, Pereira & Schmiing, ; Guerreiro, Veiga & Erzini, ; Rangel & Erzini, ; Veiga et al., , ). This information, albeit relatively limited, has led to the development and implementation of precautionary management measures, such as the creation of several no‐take Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), where specific rules have been implemented for spearfishing (see Bertocci, Dominguez, Freitas & Sousa‐Pinto, ; Carneiro, ; Vasco‐Rodrigues et al., ; Veiga et al., ).…”